André Carson has a serious 2026 primary opponent. Here's how much they've raised so far
But that fundraising surge comes as Carson contends with what is likely one of the most serious primary challengers of his 17 years representing Indiana's 7th Congressional District, which covers the majority of Indianapolis. George Hornedo, a 34-year-old attorney and political strategist, in his first federal campaign finance filing of the 2026 election cycle, reported raising more than $157,000 between November 2024 and the end of June.
It's the most money any of Carson's primary challengers have reported receiving in an entire election cycle. None of the Democrats that have challenged Carson in primary races since 2010 raised above the $5,000 threshold that requires candidates to file federal campaign finance reports.
Hornedo's campaign follows a trend this year of younger Democrats challenging party norms, including running against longtime party incumbents in Congress. Hornedo has argued Indianapolis needs a change from Carson, who was first elected to represent the 7th Congressional District in 2008.
In a July 16 press release, Hornedo's campaign reported it received more money from individual donors than Carson, rather than groups and PACS, and had a greater number of donors. Hornedo's campaign also said it did not take money from corporate political committees, while Carson's did. Carson reported donations this quarter from corporate political action committees, such as Elevance Health and Cummins.
'We're building something new – with people – and we're just getting started,' Hornedo said in a statement.
2026 elections approaching: André Carson has been in Congress since 2008. Could his 2026 primary be competitive?
But Carson raised more money between April and June than Hornedo did in the first eight months since he launched his campaign. Carson also reports more than $611,000 in cash on hand heading into the second half of 2025. That is more than nine times Hornedo's nearly $66,500 in cash on hand.
Aysha Ahmed, the finance director for Carson's campaign, said in a statement to IndyStar that the fundraising numbers in the congressman's latest report 'reflects his ability to mobilize Hoosier voters.'
'Congressman Carson knows that to take back the House in 2026, the work starts now,' Ahmed said in a statement. 'And he will continue to mobilize Hoosiers and voters across the country.'
Indiana's primary election is May 5, 2026.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com.
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CNN
32 minutes ago
- CNN
Exclusive: ‘A more vulnerable nation': FEMA memos lay out risks of plan to cut $1B in disaster and security grants
Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow The Federal Emergency Management Agency has proposed cutting nearly $1 billion in grant funding that communities and first responders nationwide use to better prepare for disasters and to bolster security for possible terror or cyberattacks. The proposed cuts, which still require approval from the White House budget office and Congress, would zero out funding for more than half of FEMA's emergency management and homeland security grant programs, according to internal memos and two FEMA officials familiar with the plans. This comes amid an overhaul of the disaster relief agency at the hands of the Trump administration, which seeks to drastically shrink FEMA's footprint and shift more responsibility for disaster preparedness, response and recovery onto states. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, has looked at slashing grant funding as part of that effort. In one memo signed by acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson, the cuts are described as a way to 'focus on appropriate spending for the Agency's core mission in emergency management.' But the memos – signed by Richardson and approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem – also acknowledge in stark terms the potential risks of eliminating the programs. The loss of one program that helps communities plan and train for disasters would 'leave state and local governments more vulnerable to catastrophic incidents,' one memo states. Ending another that bolsters transportation infrastructure and terrorism protections would 'contradict the administration's commitment to a safer and more secure country,' the memo says. Terminating the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) – the largest FEMA program on the chopping block, providing more than $500 million to prepare major cities for catastrophic emergencies – would create 'a less secure nation, especially at the border and in some of the nation's most targeted cities, including Miami, Washington DC, and Dallas,' the memo states. The agency also plans to eliminate funding for the Next Generation Warning System initiative, which is designed to modernize and improve the nation's public alert and warning capabilities for severe storms and other emergencies, after pausing the program earlier this year. According to the memo, FEMA staff had suggested that instead of terminating the program, the money could be allocated 'to high-risk flooding areas including Texas and New Mexico.' But Richardson signed off on eliminating it earlier this month. Among the other impacts from the potential cuts, as outlined by FEMA, would be 'undertrained firefighters,' 'poor wildfire readiness,' more risk at '120 critical United States ports' and less homeland security training for cities hosting World Cup games. Axing another program 'could increase the risk of terror attacks on passenger rail,' the memo says, and cutting off a violence and terrorism prevention program 'results in a more vulnerable nation.' DHS said the memos referenced in this story are 'cherry-picked,' but acknowledged the department is looking to cut 'unaccountable programs.' 'Secretary Noem and this Administration are focused on ending waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government - and FEMA is no exception,' a DHS spokesman said in a statement to CNN. 'For years, taxpayer dollars have flowed to bloated grants, political pet projects, and groups with questionable ties. That ends now.' This comes after FEMA shut down the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, halting more than $600 million intended to help communities prepare for natural disasters, prompting 20 states to sue the agency. Due to the ongoing litigation, the memos state, FEMA will address the future of the BRIC program at a later date. The cuts to disaster and security grants could have wide-ranging consequences for communities that depend on these funds. The National League of Cities, an advocacy group representing cities, towns and villages across the US, 'strongly opposes' the proposed cuts, according to a statement provided to CNN by a spokesperson. 'Reducing or eliminating these programs would severely undermine the preparedness of our first responders and compromise the ability of local governments to effectively ensure the core capabilities necessary for prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts,' the NLC spokesperson wrote. Congress allocated a total of more than $4 billion this fiscal year for FEMA to support these national preparedness programs, which state and local governments, emergency management agencies, and fire and police departments depend on for essential staffing, equipment, and training. But in recent months, the disaster relief agency, at the direction of DHS, has largely halted the selection of new grant recipients so it could review the programs. That has left emergency managers across the country waiting for FEMA to issue Notices of Funding Opportunities, or NOFOs, which allow local jurisdictions and organizations to apply for grants and are now more than two months behind schedule. 'We've been ghosted by FEMA,' a North Carolina official recently told CNN, expressing frustration over the lack of guidance on whether states can expect funding in the coming months. Now federal and state emergency managers are increasingly concerned that large portions of this year's funds will go unspent, as the funding streams expire unless allocated by the end of September. At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Richardson told concerned lawmakers, 'We're getting the NOFOs out the door as we speak.' The acting FEMA chief did not mention the looming cuts he had authorized in the memo he signed days before the hearing, though he criticized the agency's grant programs. 'A lot of the grants sound good, and then you dig into them, and they're not so good,' Richardson said, citing resilience projects 'used for things like bike paths and shade at bus stops.' During Wednesday's hearing, Rep. Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat, pressed Richardson about the status of UASI funding, emphasizing its importance for protecting Las Vegas from potential terror threats. Richardson responded: 'What I can commit to is that we've been doing due diligence on all of the grants.' He did not mention the program's potential termination. Responding to CNN's new reporting Thursday, Titus said the plan to cut UASI is 'deeply irresponsible and endangers our public safety.' 'These grants played a significant role in the response to the Harvest Festival shootings and are critical to protecting the public in all major cities and at big events such as the Super Bowl, Formula One races, and golf tournaments,' Titus said in a statement to CNN. 'I implore Secretary Noem to administer these public safety grants as Congress directed and ensure that our first responders and emergency personnel have the tools they need to address future threats in our communities.'
The Hill
44 minutes ago
- The Hill
Five unanswered questions around Trump and the Epstein saga
The controversy over Jeffrey Epstein rumbles on, despite President Trump's efforts to put it behind him. It's been almost three weeks since a joint, unsigned memo from the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) insisted 'no incriminating 'client list'' had been found among material related to Epstein. The memo also contended that there had been 'no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.' The statement caused a firestorm – including among many Trump supporters, who had been primed to expect big revelations about Epstein, the sexual predator and disgraced financier who died, apparently of suicide, in 2019. Attorney General Pam Bondi had said in a February Fox News interview that an Epstein client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' In previous years, people very close to Trump, including his eldest son Don Jr. and Vice President Vance, had suggested there was a nefarious motive behind the failure to disclose more material about Epstein. But even as the controversy moves on, there are many unanswered questions. Here are five of the biggest. What happens with Ghislaine Maxwell? Developments around Maxwell, the British socialite and Epstein associate, have been among the most intriguing new developments. Todd Blanche, the second highest ranking figure in the DOJ, met with Maxwell in Tallahassee, Fla., on Thursday and Friday. Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence in 2022 for conspiring with Epstein in his abuse. The unusual move by Blanche, who served as one of Trump's personal attorneys before ascending to his current role at the DOJ, has become a partisan flashpoint. Democrats and other Trump critics are warning of the prospect of some kind of quid-pro-quo deal, in which Maxwell would be offered a pardon, or at least some level of clemency, in return for exculpatory words on Trump. 'The conflict of interest just stares you in the face,' Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech on Thursday. Blanche has defended the meetings as a straightforward pursuit of more information. In a statement on Tuesday, he said, 'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.' There are reasons to be skeptical about whether lenient treatment of Maxwell would quel the controversy. It might just as easily ratchet it up. But on Friday, before leaving for a trip to Scotland, Trump notably did not rule out a pardon or clemency of Maxwell. 'I'm allowed to do it but it's something I have not thought about,' he told reporters at the White House. How does Trump's case against the Wall Street Journal go? The Epstein matter has seen Trump go into full legal battle against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corporation and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Trump says he was defamed by a Journal story that alleged a letter bearing his name and a drawing was included in an album put together by Maxwell to mark Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The president is seeking $10 billion in damages. The Journal has stood by its story and has continued to report vigorously on Trump and Epstein. On Wednesday, days after Trump filed his suit, the Journal reported that Trump had been told by the DOJ back in May that his name was mentioned in the Epstein files – though the news organization noted that such a mention is not, in itself, evidence of wrongdoing. The fact that neither Trump nor Murdoch are inclined to back down sets up a striking clash, not least because of the Murdoch family's role at Fox News. Is Pam Bondi in trouble? Some Republicans and other Trump allies plainly blame Bondi for at least part of the political mess in which they find themselves. They contend that the attorney general's comments in the February Fox interview were the spark that ignited the flame of controversy that is now burning the president. A former attorney for Trump and Epstein told the BBC this week that the DOJ had 'jumped the gun a bit' in overhyping the information that they had. 'They were in favor, for good reasons, of disclosing and full transparency, but they didn't know what they had yet,' David Schoen told the BBC's 'Newsnight.' Meanwhile, Politico reported this week on GOP disquiet over Bondi's role, quoting one unnamed senior House GOP aide saying, 'I think she, from pillar to post, handled this thing so badly and bizarrely.' But voices close to Trump, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, have publicly defended Bondi, stressing her work to advance Trump's broader agenda. The New York Times also reported on Thursday that Bondi 'felt blindsided and annoyed' by demands from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the DOJ should probe actions taken by the Obama administration in relation to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Will Republicans rally around Trump? The Epstein controversy has been unusually damaging to Trump because it has cracked the unity of the GOP and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base. A Wall Street Journal poll released on Thursday evening, found that 69 percent of all registered voters – and a striking 54 percent of Republicans – had either little or no confidence that the DOJ had fully investigated the Epstein matter. Elected Republicans have also made a stand, at least in some cases. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is leading an effort to force the DOJ to release as much documentation as possible on Epstein. In a separate, closely-watched vote on a House panel this week, three Republicans – Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Brian Jack (Ga.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) – voted with Democrats to subpoena the DOJ for Epstein documents. Republicans are also expected to receive plenty of hostile questioning on the Epstein matter from their constituents while the House is on its summer recess. All of that being said, Trump's overall grip on the GOP is tight. He may well be able to bring his party into firmer line. How long does the story keep making headlines? The new lease of life for the Epstein story shows no real signs of dying down – much to Trump's displeasure. Indeed, actions that he or his allies have taken have injected new fuel into the furor. Trump's case against the Journal and Blanche's meetings with Ghislaine Maxwell both fall into that category. Critics allege that some other actions taken by the Trump administration, including the rash of loud allegations against the Obama administration over the 2016 election, are intended as a distraction from the Epstein matter. If that's the case, they haven't really worked. It's always possible that some major domestic or world event could intervene and banish Epstein from the headlines. But Massie, the maverick Kentucky Republican leading the fight for more disclosure, told reporters this week that he expected public demands on the issue to grow stronger over the summer. If that proves true, it's very bad news for Trump.
The Hill
44 minutes ago
- The Hill
Democrats ramp up town hall offensive in GOP districts with focus on Epstein
House Democrats are ramping up their town-hall blitz in GOP-held districts over the long summer recess. The strategy is not new, but this time they're armed with a powerful new talking point: President Trump's refusal to release the federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein case has rattled Republicans in the White House and the Capitol, forcing Trump to defend uncomfortable connections to the late financier and convicted sex offender, while prompting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to scrap last week's legislative plans and mount a hasty exit from Washington to preclude Epstein-related votes. Trump's defiance on the files has put him at odds with the same core loyalists who helped propel him to power — a clash over a foundational MAGA doctrine that Trump himself had helped to promote. And Democrats are only happy to watch the unraveling, however long it endures, and goad it along when the chance arrives. 'Let them destroy each other. If we have to throw a log on the fire, we'll do it,' said one House Democratic aide. It's not that Democrats will abandon their central message under Trump's second term, which accuses the president and congressional Republicans of breaking promises to lower costs for working class consumers. But they want the Epstein case to complement that theme, arguing that Republicans — whether through tax cuts for the wealthy or refusing to release the Epstein files — are protecting the interests of powerful 'elites' at the expense of everyone else. 'Everything that House Republicans have done, everything this administration has done since Donald Trump took office, is in defense of the elites,' said Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the Democratic whip. Republicans have shot back, wondering why the Epstein files were a non-issue when President Biden was in power. 'Democrats had four years under Joe Biden to release these documents but only started caring once President Trump returned to office,' Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Friday in an email. 'We won't be lectured about transparency by the same party that spent years hiding Biden's decline.' Still, GOP leaders continue to advise Republicans against holding in-person district events — 'Democrats are still pretty determined to hijack our town halls and try to prevent us from having this conversation with our constituents, so I would encourage them to use other means,' said NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) — and Democrats are only eager to fill the void. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) is headed to Prairie du Chien, Wis., the hometown of GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden, for a town hall in rival territory on July 31. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has staged a national tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) throughout the year, is eyeing additional travel to Republican strongholds over the long break. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) joined her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for a public forum on Friday in Michigan's battleground 10th District, where GOP Rep. John James is giving up his seat to run for governor. And Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) has planned a series of events on GOP turf over the recess, including a July 26 town hall in Dayton, Ohio, with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and another with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in Nebraska at the end of August. 'People … want someone to listen,' said Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.), the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 'And if their member of Congress isn't going to listen, they want to make sure their voices are heard.' Democrats have already spent the first half of the year barnstorming into Republican-held districts to meet directly with voters — a strategy launched after GOP leaders first discouraged their troops from staging such public events amid protests against Trump's efforts to remake Washington. Until now, the focus of the Democrats' message has been on Trump's domestic policies, particularly the steep cuts to federal programs like Medicaid and food stamps featured in the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill,' which was enacted earlier in the month. The dramatic reemergence of the Epstein case has given them more ammunition to take into those public forums, not least because Republican voters — and the MAGA faithful specifically — have clamored most loudly to see the files the Trump administration is now refusing to release. Heading into the long recess, the Democrats' official messaging arm sent guidance to all lawmakers encouraging them to trumpet the Epstein narrative during the long break. 'Use Paid Communications To Elevate This Issue!' the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee wrote in an email blast. 'This urgent issue demands that we reach as many Americans as possible.' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) doesn't need any encouragement. He, along with GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), are the leading sponsors of a bipartisan proposal requiring the Department of Justice and the FBI to release all the unclassified records they have pertaining to Epstein. Johnson and GOP leaders have sought to keep the bill off the floor, where it's likely to attract some Republican support. But the bipartisan pair is hoping to force a vote through obscure procedures when the House returns to Washington in September. Meanwhile, Khanna will use the long recess to stage town halls in GOP districts in at least two states, Nevada and Georgia, where he intends to make the Epstein saga a major theme. 'We will keep up the drumbeat and then force the vote on Ro's bill in September,' Marie Baldassarre, a Khanna spokesperson, said Friday.
